How long after coming into contact with chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox,it is recommended that you inform their school or nursery, and keep them at home for 5 days. If you have chickenpox, stay off work and at home until you're no longer infectious, which is until the last blister has burst and crusted over. This usually happens five or six days after the rash begins.

If you or your child have recently been exposed to the chickenpox virus, you may not be able to visit friends or relatives in hospital. Telephone the ward to check first. If you or your child have chickenpox, you may not be allowed to fly until 6 days after the last spot has appeared. You and your child should be safe to fly once you're past the infectious stage and all of the blisters have crusted over.

However, it's best to check the policy of your airline first. Inform the airline as soon as chickenpox is diagnosed. It is also important to let your travel insurer know if you or your child has chickenpox. You need to make sure that you'll be covered if you have to delay or cancel your holiday, or if you need to extend your stay until your child is well enough to fly home. Chickenpox can sometimes be spread through contact with objects that have been contaminated with the virus, such as children's toys, bedding or clothing.

If someone in your household has chickenpox, you can help stop the virus spreading by wiping any objects or surfaces with a sterilising solution and making sure that any infected clothing or bedding is washed regularly.

There is a chickenpox vaccine that is used to protect people who are most at risk of a serious chickenpox infection or of passing the infection on to someone who is at risk. The vaccine is not suitable for pregnant women. Avoid getting pregnant for 3 months after having the vaccine. The vaccine is also not suitable for people with weakened immune systems. Home Illnesses and conditions Infections and poisoning Chickenpox. Chickenpox See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1.

About chickenpox 2. Symptoms of chickenpox 3. Causes of chickenpox 4. Diagnosing chickenpox 5. Treating chickenpox 6. Complications of chickenpox 7. Preventing the spread of chickenpox. About chickenpox Chickenpox is a mild and common childhood illness that most children catch at some point.

Children usually catch chickenpox in winter and spring, particularly between March and May. What to do To prevent spreading the infection, keep children off nursery or school until all their spots have crusted over. Chickenpox treatment Chickenpox in children is considered a mild illness, but your child will probably feel pretty miserable and irritable while they have it.

In most children, the blisters crust up and fall off naturally within one to two weeks. When to see a doctor For most children, chickenpox is a mild illness that gets better on its own.

However, some children can become more seriously ill with chickenpox and need to see a doctor. Contact your GP straight away if your child develops any abnormal symptoms, such as: if the blisters on their skin become infected if your child has a pain in their chest or has difficulty breathing Chickenpox in adults Chickenpox may be a childhood illness, but adults can get it too.

Who's at special risk? They include: pregnant women newborn babies people with a weakened immune system These people should seek medical advice as soon as they are exposed to the chickenpox virus or they develop chickenpox symptoms. Chickenpox in pregnancy Chickenpox occurs in approximately 3 in every 1, pregnancies.

Chickenpox and shingles Once you have had chickenpox, you usually develop antibodies to the infection and become immune to catching it again. It's possible to catch chickenpox from someone with shingles, but not the other way around. Is there a vaccine against chickenpox?

Symptoms of chickenpox The most commonly recognised chickenpox symptom is a spotty, blistering red rash that can cover the entire body. Chickenpox spots The spots normally appear in clusters and tend to be: behind the ears on the face over the scalp on the chest and belly on the arms and legs However, the spots can be anywhere on the body, even inside the ears and mouth, on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and inside the nappy area.

After 1 to 2 weeks, the crusting skin will fall off naturally. Feeling unwell Before the rash appears, you or your child may have some mild flu -like symptoms, including: feeling sick a high temperature fever of 38C Unusual symptoms Most healthy children and adults recover from chickenpox with no lasting ill-effects simply by resting, just as with a cold or the flu.

However, some children and adults are unlucky and have a more severe bout. Contact your GP straight away if you or your child develop any abnormal symptoms, such as: the skin surrounding the blisters becoming red and painful pain in the chest or difficulty breathing signs of dehydration , such as fewer wet nappies, drowsiness and cold hands and feet In cases such as this, prescription medicine or hospital treatment may be needed. Causes of chickenpox Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.

How you catch the virus The chickenpox virus is spread most easily from someone who has the rash. Shingles If you have not had chickenpox before, you can also catch chickenpox from someone with shingles an infection caused by the same virus.

Diagnosing chickenpox You or your child should not usually need any medical tests to diagnose chickenpox. When to contact your GP 1. See your GP if you're not sure whether you or your child have chickenpox.

Having a blood test Once you have contacted your GP, you may need a test to see if you're already immune from chickenpox.

Treating chickenpox There is no cure for chickenpox, and the virus usually clears up by itself without any treatment. Painkillers If your child is in pain or has a high temperature fever , you can give them a mild painkiller, such as paracetamol available over the counter in pharmacies.

Never give your child aspirin if you suspect or know that they have chickenpox. Keeping hydrated It is important for children and adults with chickenpox to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Stop the scratching Chickenpox can be incredibly itchy, but it's important for children and adults to not scratch the spots, to avoid future scarring. Cool clothing If your child has a fever, or if their skin is sore and aggravated, dress them appropriately so that they don't get too hot or too cold.

Stronger treatments Antiviral medicine Aciclovir is an antiviral medicine that is sometimes given to people with chickenpox. To reduce the spread of chickenpox, children with the illness should not attend daycare or school until 5 days after the rash first appears or the blisters have crusted.

It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks for a person to get sick after exposure to the virus. If your child is exposed to chickenpox, watch for signs of the illness for the next 2 to 3 weeks. Symptoms of chickenpox may include fever, aches, tiredness, headache and loss of appetite.

A few days later, a rash appears. Red spots appear first on the face and scalp, and then spread quickly down the body and to the arms and legs. The spots become very itchy and begin to look like blisters, filled with clear fluid. After another few days, the fluid becomes cloudy, the blisters break, and a crust or scab forms while the skin heals.

During this time, new "crops" of spots appear, form blisters, and then crust over. Chickenpox usually lasts about 10 days. If you have been exposed to the chickenpox virus, your treatment will depend on your age, personal health, and severity of the illness. Most healthy children will only need to stay at home and rest. Pregnant women, newborn infants, and people with weakened immune systems who have not been vaccinated or have not had chickenpox or shingles in the past should see a health care provider immediately if they are exposed to, or get, chickenpox.

Prevention methods must be started as soon as possible to reduce the illness, and the risk for complications. Prevention methods may include antiviral medication, an injection of varicella zoster immune globulin or the varicella vaccine. In most cases, chickenpox is a mild illness. If one of your children has chickenpox, it will probably spread to other members of the household who have not already had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine.

In most cases, you can only get chickenpox once. This is called life-long immunity. But in rare cases, a person might get it again, especially if they were very young when they had it the first time. Shingles looks like chickenpox and is caused by the same virus. But it usually appears on only one part of the body, where it causes pain. Shingles can happen in people who have already had chickenpox but usually many years later since after we have chickenpox, the virus stays with us in an inactive form.

Shingles is contagious, but only to those who have never had chickenpox. Many schools and daycare centres have policies that require children with chickenpox to stay home for 5 days after the rash appears. The goal is to protect other children from the disease. Unfortunately, this does not stop chickenpox from spreading. Chickenpox is contagious from 1 to 2 days before the rash appears, and most infectious from 12 to 24 hours before the rash appears.

It spreads through the air, not just by direct contact with the rash. If your child is too sick to take part in regular activities or if they have a fever, they should stay home. For mild cases low fever for a short period of time and only a little rash, less than 30 spots , children can go to school or child care if they feel well enough to take part in regular activities, and if the facility permits.

Pregnant women can develop severe chickenpox. Most adult women are already protected against chickenpox by antibodies in their blood. If you are thinking of getting pregnant and have not had chickenpox, you should be vaccinated. If you are pregnant and have not had chickenpox, call your doctor right away if you are exposed to chickenpox. But now that kids get the vaccine, fewer and fewer people get chickenpox. But kids can get vaccinated when they're older too.

Ask your mom or dad if you've had your shots. You'll be glad that you did if chickenpox starts making its way around your school! Reviewed by: Kate M. Cronan, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Chickenpox? People who get the virus have: a fever a rash of spots that look like blisters They also might get a runny nose, cough, and stomachache.

What Are the Signs of Chickenpox? How Does Chickenpox Spread? Itchy-Itchy, Scratchy-Scratchy If you are that unlucky person, how do you keep your chickenpox from driving you crazy? These tips can help you feel less itchy: Keep cool because heat and sweat will make you itch more. You might want to put a lukewarm washcloth on the really bad areas. Trim your fingernails, so if you do scratch, you won't tear your skin.